I never expected to question my mother\u2019s priorities\u2014until I saw the $1,800 receipt for a designer dress. She\u2019s 70, and all my life, she\u2019s been practical and selfless. She raised five kids on a tight budget, sacrificing everything for us\u2014extra shifts, worn-out coats, and never once indulging in anything extravagant.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why the dress shocked me. It wasn\u2019t for a wedding or big event\u2014just her book club and a luncheon. Meanwhile, my son is heading to college, and every dollar matters. I\u2019d hoped she might help with tuition, even a little. So I asked her why. She didn\u2019t get defensive.<\/p>\n
Because for seventy years, I\u2019ve been more than just a mother\u2014but I\u2019ve never let myself be anything else,\u201d she said. \u201cNow that you\u2019re grown, I just wanted to do something for me. Something that reminded me I\u2019m still a person.\u201d Her words stunned me.<\/p>\n
In my frustration, I\u2019d forgotten the decades she\u2019d already given. Maybe this one choice\u2014for herself\u2014wasn\u2019t selfish at all. Maybe it was long overdue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"